UK Global Advisory Spring Insight Programme 2024 Review

The programme involved multiple presentations introducing various areas of the company, such as global advisory, debt advisory, and wealth management. Other activities include: an M&A case study (led by a senior banker); shadowing junior bankers in an M&A team; a group M&A pitch project; a talk from the philanthropy team; and visiting the archives. There were many opportunities to network with employees as well as fellow students in the cohort.

Activities such as the group M&A pitch project strengthened the following skill areas: analysis, teamwork, presenting, organisation, and communication. Secondly, I developed networking and business etiquette skills through a session on this topic and a preparation session for assessment centres and interviews. Lastly, I developed my industry-specific skills involving financial analysis, for example, through an investment banking training session run by Financial Edge.

It was excellent to learn about the various areas of the firm, both within Global Advisory and across the wider business. I also learned about how the firm stands out in each area compared to other investment banks. I gained further understanding regarding the roles available in each business area and discovered what each role involves. This assisted with identifying roles that sound particularly interesting to me and learning about career progression.

My experience with the company culture was brilliant. All the employees that I engaged with were incredibly friendly, insightful, and happy to share advice. This includes junior bankers I shadowed and my analyst buddy, as well as senior bankers who led talks. Furthermore, listening to employee experiences and why they like Rothschild & Co reinforced the positive culture and atmosphere. It is clear that the culture is a characteristic that stands out.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Spring Insight Programme and all of the activities that took place during the week. One of my personal highlights was the M&A case study as well as the M&A team shadowing. I also liked having a buddy analyst assigned to me before the programme, as this allowed me to get in touch with them for advice and specific questions. The programme was very insightful and extremely well organised.

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My advice would be to be enthusiastic and curious about the company and programme. It is vital to learn about and mention how Rothschild & Co stands out and what makes it unique compared to other investment banks. Lastly, it's important to be personable, especially as the people at the company are what make the culture so positive.